Keeping nightlife alive is vital to downtown SLO

Madeline Kuhns is a journalism senior and Mustang News opinion columnist. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Mustang Media Group.

Libertine Brewing Company kept its minor use permit after a council decision on February 23, allowing live music to continue at the venue. I am in strong support of this decision because I believe Libertine is one of the few venues that support arts in our community. 

Live music is losing its sense of belonging in San Luis Obispo, and putting a noise ordinance on bars like Libertine only pushes it further out of the community. What other spaces are available for the arts and emerging house bands to debut? 

READ MORE: Noise complaint fails to halt Libertine’s live events 

Live music events were one of the first things that drew me to San Luis Obispo. As a freshman, house shows popped up around town, and dusty backyards became the perfect center stage for an exciting new garage band. Connections with upperclassmen got my friends and me into some exhilarating shows–and some very uncomfortable shows. One of them I can remember like it was yesterday. 

Wooden drumsticks tapped the band in, and booming rock music bounced off the walls of a carpeted living room. Sweaty bodies pressed against the fogged glass of sliding doors moved back and forth to a rock beat. Pushing through the crowd for a breath of fresh air, you could see literal steam coming off of some of the partygoers. It felt like 100 people were all trying to fit into a tiny living room in order to keep the noise down. 

I wasn’t able to really enjoy the music after my eardrums nearly blasted from the volume. I was more worried about the fact that every ounce of makeup I had put on was washed off by sweat. The city’s strict rules led to an indoor house show into a space unequipped to fit the fun times. Not to mention, the backyard of the house had tiered levels that resembled a Greek theatre, which would have been a perfect venue for the performance. 

Without downtown venues that can account for large amounts of people, noise and space of a house show, more of these congested indoor parties will continue. Though I’m all for a crowded house part once in a while, spaces like these become unsafe when they go past capacity, and musicians live in the fear of having a show shut down by police before it even starts. 

Oscar Crane, a junior aerospace engineering student, who is a part of a house band, expressed his frustration with noise complaints and live music rules to Mustang News. At a show that started around 6 p.m., the cops had been called to the premises before the show even started.  

“We were the second band and set up within ten minutes of the first band,” Crane said. “The cops showed up and said we couldn’t play.” 

“I feel like it just doesn’t allow for art to be expressed,” Crane said. “We’re supposed to be in a place where it should be incentivised to express yourself both inside and outside the classroom,” he said. 

Since we’ve gotten older, my friends and I notice the way backyard house shows are being pushed earlier and popping up less frequently than before.  We’ve felt the crackdown on noise complaints and an increase in immediate calls to police. 

Choosing to live close to any downtown community could result in louder, livelier nights and foot traffic on the streets. Bars like The Mark Bar & Grill, Frog & Peach Pub and The Library host bands and DJs, and push the noise much later into the night. This might be hard for longtime residents, but it would also take some of the stress off of neighborhood parties around the city and into one place. 

Libertine ends the majority of their live music shows and comedy shows around 10-11 p.m., following the quiet hour restrictions in San Luis Obispo. Music venues are also helpful in boosting downtown local businesses. Not only does music bring people downtown, but it also gives them a reason to come back. 

The city should continue to support community-first policies. I believe there is a way to find a fair balance between respecting neighborhoods and the ability to have fun. 

I want to end my senior year enjoying the events I got to regularly attend in my first year. I hope future freshmen can enjoy these events, too. Fraternities get the permit to party, so why don’t bars, house shows and the arts in our community, which I would argue have more social value than a fraternity party, to the same standard? 

Students make up almost 46% of the city of San Luis Obispo, according to Cal Poly’s website and Data USA.  As collaborators to the arts scene and social scene, I think the city should continue to support local live music, especially music made by students. I want to hear about more students choosing Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo for the same reasons I did.